Bree Survives
by Darcy Moore
Summary: In Eclipse the Cullens try to save a newborn that surrenders. The Volturi destroy her or so they thought.
1. Back at the Clearing: Bella's POV

Jane and the Volturi disappeared into the trees. I couldn't look at the fire where the new vampire, Bree had been her name, was now burning. She was the one newborn that had surrendered instead of fighting against the Cullens. That didn't make any difference. "We don't give second chances," Jane had said. Then Bree was no more.

All of the Cullens were silent and still.

"Bree," Edward said in a low voice. He must have been very upset. Maybe not personally but for Carlisle. Edward had tried to plead for the young one. Carlisle hated death and violence. Edward's next statement surprised me. "Bree I can hear your thoughts. The others are gone and we still mean you no harm."

I looked up at him then followed his eyes to where the girl sat as still and anxious as before. A glance at the other Cullens told me that they were shocked too. "How? But I smelled...," I said. I looked back at Bree. Her hands were digging into the earth again. She looked at Edward and turned her head.

"Yes," he answered a question in her mind, "and we can stand upwind so that you can breathe. The others will want an explanation."

Bree looked down and nodded. She seemed calmer and more subdued. This was possibly due to Jane having tortured her.

Edward wrapped a protective arm around me and moved me to another position in the group further from Bree but still close enough to hear. He was now between me and the young vampire. I heard her take a deep breath. She must have been holding it so she wouldn't smell me.

"Thank you," she began in a high soprano voice. I could still see Bree and she was addressing Carlisle. Her face was no longer strained and I could now see her beauty. The brilliant red eyes were still her most dominant feature. She looked down again as though she wasn't sure what to say. I saw her glance at Jasper who again was taking a defensive stance near her.

"Bree," Carlisle spoke in his warm and gentle tone, "How did you do what you did? I'm not even sure what to call it."

"Projection," Bree answered, looking down still, "I have a talent for it. I'm a freak."

Edward let out a low chuckle that Carlisle, Emmet and Alice echoed. Rosalie, Esme and Jasper had not found it to be funny. I could guess that Jasper and Rose were not in the mood for joking, and Esme was too motherly to laugh at the girl.

"You're special," Esme said in a motherly tone.

Bree's sullen face held a temporary smile that soon fell. She glanced at Jasper again.

"You projected," Carlisle pressed, "When did you do that? We didn't notice. And how did you hide your real self?"

"I did it while those other ones," she shuddered, "were talking to you about the human. I knew that they wanted to kill me so I acted while they were distracted. They really don't like you all. Especially the human." I noticed that she did not look at me once. She was trying to stay in control. Young vampires relied heavily on instinct and I knew from Jasper's lessons that all of Bree's were saying jump across the fire and eat the human.

"Interesting," Carlisle mused. He liked mysteries and a vampire newborn with projection powers would of course peak his interests. "Bree can you control yourself if we take you back to our home. I will have to go to La Push to tend to Jacob but I would love to talk to you some more."

Jasper, Rose, Emmet, and Alice looked at Carlisle then Bree. Bree nodded slowly.

"She knows that she can trust you, Esme," Edward said, "You remind her of her mother and she won't attack you if you do that."

Esme walked toward Bree still being cautious. "Dear," she said warmly in her lovely voice, "Come with us." She did not put herself between Bree and Jasper but went to Bree's other side. Emmet moved behind them and Alice and Rosalie took point. They disappeared into the trees.

Carlisle watched them leave and turned to Edward.

"Bree sees the world a little differently," Edward answered before Carlisle spoke, "Projection is not her only affinity."


	2. Stories: Jasper's POV

Jasper's View

I watched the newborn, Bree, very carefully as we ran through the woods back toward the house. I wanted her to remain as calm as possible so I focused an exuding a calming energy. It was harder to do while moving. All I could do was radiate calm around myself and run close enough to her that she would be caught in the web of the emotion.

This action did not calm her right away as it should have. Before my ability took hold on her there was a large play of emotions. Worry, Shock, then Curiosity all playing over her constant anxiousness. She didn't say anything as she ran between Esme and me. She was stealing glances at all of the others though.

At first I thought that this was an attempt to find an escape but her emotions didn't add up to that. She was calm, still curious and… awed? Did she think that the yellow eyed vampires were strange? Of course. As young as she was the fact that she was in fact a vampire herself was very new, then if her camp had been as ravenous as the one I was raised in… Well even if she had been just another vampire our family would be strange. Bree was looking at me quizzically from the corner of her eye. As I met her gaze a jolt of panic broke from her, temporally, over the calm I was focusing on. She was looking down again, following Alice and Rose.

We were at the house. Bree looked up, stopping short. Emmet hadn't expected this and ran directly into the girl. If she had been expecting it she would not have moved but the force cracked over the trees and she fell to the ground. I acted quickly as she jumped up and snarled at my brother. We were all still around her and as she crouched as though ready to spring at Emmet and all still on edge from the recent battle. I knew that none of the others wanted to hurt Bree if it could be helped. Mostly because Carlisle had offered her safety and Edward now vouched for her too but if she attacked it would leave us with little choice.

"It was an accident, Bree," Esme said, pleading, "You're going to have to calm down now. We don't want to hurt you."

"I know _you_ don't," Bree said turning to Esme but glancing at Rosalie, "and the blonde one didn't want to hurt me until I hissed at the big one." Bree then straightened out of her crouch completely.

"I am sorry," Bree said to Emmet. Emmet was a little shocked by the change as was I. "It's cool," he said casually after a pause, "I ran into you."

"Are you still content with learning from us?" Esme asked trying to keep the stress from her voice, "I can't let you into my home if you are going to act this way every time someone bumps you."

"Yes ma'am," Bree said, polite and subdued again, "I will try to remain on my best behavior. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Esme said warmly, "You're just going to have to control your instincts."

We walked into the house and Esme gestured for Bree to sit on the sofa next to her. I took the chair next to the sofa, Alice sat on Bree's other side close to me. Emmet stood just in Bree's eye line behind her so she knew he was there. It was better not to surprise a newborn if you wanted her to remain calm. Rose took the other chair near Esme's side of the couch.

"Try to remain calm, Bree," Alice said. She glanced at me and I knew what she meant immediately. I allowed serenity to fill the room.

Bree looked around and then looked at me in wonder. "How do you do that?" she asked. She looked around again as though she saw something no one else could and smiled.

"Jasper and I are special like you. Of course, Edward too who you met in the clearing," Alice explained, "We have different gifts. Edward reads minds; I can see the future and Jasper can manipulate emotions."

"Oh," Bree said, "That explains it then." She glanced at me again.

"Explains what?" Emmet asked impatiently before I could.

"His aura is very different from anyone's I have seen, human or vampire," Bree stated in awe, "It has a touch of all of your emotions in it. I didn't think it was possible for one person to feel so much. Then, as it did just a second ago, emotions actually left his aura and filled the room."

No one really knew what to say. "My aura?" I finally asked.

"Yes," Bree replied, "I can see them. Like bubbles of color from a person's soul. They are all unique but I think I have learned how to read emotions off of them."

"Was this part of your new vampire ability?" Esme asked.

"No," she answered shyly, "I could always see them. I was staying at a clinic in Seattle learning how to focus my abilities to help people when…" Her hand reached for her neck. She rubbed the crescent scar that lay there.

"You poor dear," Esme sighed, "How old are you?"

"Almost sixteen."

Esme patted Bree's shoulder reassuringly. "And how old are you to this life?"

"A little over a month," Bree answered, "Riley told us when…" She broke off and looked down. "Riley's dead too isn't he?" she asked after a moment.

"Yes sweetie," Esme consoled the girl.

"And Sarah, Erin, Jason, all of them," she said, "You killed them."

"Yes," I said, "but remember you all came after us."

"Yes," she replied sullenly, "but some of them were my friends. I'm sad that they died."

"That is alright," Esme replied, "You should mourn your friends. Victoria used you all and was very reckless with your lives. Please do not blame us for what we had to do to protect our family."

"I don't," Bree replied, "I just wish I knew why they had to die."

Alice went through a quick explanation of how our family was different then what happened beginning last January. Bree listened attentively to her interrupting occasionally to ask questions. When Alice glossed over the part about the Volturi Bree winced and asked a few questions about them. Jane had tortured her and ordered her death because she was part of a major rule infraction.

"They are evil," Bree stated, "Their auras are seeping with malevolence."

Emmet snorted. Alice just moved on through the rest of the story up until the fight. In her story she didn't mention the wolves. Obviously Bree never saw them because she was in the group that fought the Cullens.

Then in was Bree's turn to explain things. She was only a month old and discovered her projection powers when she was in a fight with another vampire. Her projection lost but when other fights came up she used her abilities to bow out of the fight. It was still painful when her other self died but considering her options.

"Why didn't you use your projection thing during the fight?" Emmet asked her.

"I did," Bree answered, "She went with Jason and the others that never showed because of those dogs."

"So you know about the wolves," I said.

"I saw them in her head," Bree said nodding, "and I felt when she died too."

"You didn't tell Jane."

"I didn't want Jane to know about my ability," she answered, "I wanted to use it to escape when I had a chance. I told her what I knew, not what the other me did. It's why I called attention to the girl Bella, too. To use her as a distraction. Knowing bloodlust the way I now do I can't imagine being surrounded by vampires as a human. I can't believe how little fear there was in her." She shook her head.

"Bella's emotions are often surprising," I agreed smiling.

"She and Edward were made for each other," Bree said. I was something we all knew but her conviction about two strangers was odd. Even though she had just been told their story. She looked at all of us tentatively then elaborated apparently seeing the slight confusion in our 'auras.' "Their auras blend beautifully. That is a sign of love. Family love, friendship and relationships look different too. Your aura and Alice's are pulling toward each other because of how close you are. It's blending at the edges." She smiled again looking at the space between Alice and me. "Rosalie and Emmet are obviously together from earlier. Your leader Carlisle and Esme," she smiled at Esme, "and they are your parents? I noticed that when Carlisle held you back. He is your father."

"We're a family," I replied, now sensing her confusion. I hadn't needed to focus the emotions of the room so I felt her untampered feelings. She trusted us. She could see who we really were and she liked us.

"Edward will be here soon with Bella," Alice said suddenly, "It might be best if Bree wasn't here."

Esme was now closer to Bree. "Are you hungry, dear?" she asked, "We can take you out to hunt like we do. That is the best we can offer at the moment. It is not the life for everyone."

"No I would like to try," Bree insisted. Emmet, Esme and I resolved to go with her and Rosalie then agreed too. Alice was staying so that she could help Bella's alibi.


	3. Hunting: Bree's POV

Bree's POV

I could feel Jasper's aura graze across mine as we crouched a few feet away from a herd of elk. I had tentatively admitted that the only hunting I had done was in groups and while I knew the idea of it I wasn't practiced. Rosalie and Emmet (as I learned their names) had laughed at me but Esme was encouraging. Jasper was too. He offered to show me the finer points of actual hunting.

That was what we were doing now, many miles away from civilization where I could free my instincts without fear of attacking a human. I admit that I did like the taste of human blood but if there was an alternative to the life that I had been living or existing in since I became a vampire. Riley had been nice to me, a teacher and skilled like Jasper seemed to be.

I glanced at the blonde vampire as my emotion wafted through the edges of his aura. His responding look was alert and sympathetic. I knew my look could have been misconstrued if he wasn't empathic. This knowledge didn't stop the embarrassment from floating out of my aura into his. With caution Jasper put his hand on my shoulder and sent specific emotions of confidence and comfort into my energy.

"Contact makes your power stronger?" I asked him in a very hushed whisper.

Jasper nodded and held one finger to his lips. "You have tasted human blood and this will be different," he explained, "you can smell that can't you."

I nodded. I didn't like the smell but I was willing to try. This coven could survive and live happily on animal blood. It couldn't be that bad.

"When you are ready," Jasper told me.

"You've had a long day," the high voice of Alice grew louder as we moved closer to the house. I had eaten my fill but unlike the rest of the vamps in my company I showed the wear and tear of the woods in my already ripped clothing. None of the others and a spot on their designer label outfits. They had been so graceful. I had a bit more to learn on that side. We had slowed now that we were near the house again.

"Play your role first Bella," Alice continued, "then you can do what you want. Part of being a Cullen is being meticulously responsible."

An arm suddenly blocked my path. It was Emmet. Jasper was blocking me now too. "You can't go in there with Bella," he explained in response to my angry confusion, "She is far too tempting."

"Bella is leaving soon," the voice of the mind reader, Edward said.

"I want to see Bree as soon as she is gone," the leader said.

Staring at the large house that the voices had come from and knowing that we had all heard the vamps though they had not raised their voices.

The five of us waited behind the house until the car was halfway down the drive. Then we all relaxed. This was not due to Jasper but an actual easing of the situation. Esme walked next to me and put a reassuring arm around my shoulder and lead me into the house.


	4. Questions and Colors: Bree's POV

Bree's POV

We all walked through the back door and I could smell the faint reminisces of wet dog and human. It helped hold back the burning in my throat. The others did not seem to have a problem though Esme gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Emmet looked at my ragged exterior. "You did alright, kid," he said laughing. Rosalie walked upstairs and Emmett followed. I looked away as the purple metallic shivers shook through both of their auras.

"I know just how you feel," Edward replied from the couch. Jasper let out a small chuckle in response.

"Oh hello," I said to Edward. He had a stronger concentration of the dog/ human smell.

"Hello Bree," Edward replied politely, "you seem to be settling alright. How did you like the hunt?"

I shrugged. It hadn't been too bad. The blood of the elk tasted less than appetizing but it had been fun.

"I am glad that you had fun," Edward replied, "Carlisle is waiting in his office. Did you want to get cleaned up first?"

"Of course she does," Alice replied for me as she came down the stairs with a small collection of clothing.

I looked at Alice's slight figure and then Esme's. I wasn't sure that I would fit into anything that they owned. My figure was a little fuller than all the women in the Cullen family.

"These are Jasper's," Alice said, I assume only guessing what my thoughts were, "I will go shopping for you tomorrow."

"Thank you," I said. The edges of Alice's aura held a snake of jealous anger. I didn't understand it.

"You are welcome to wear these," Jasper said, "and Alice really enjoys designing wardrobes." I glanced at him and saw confusion mirrored from my aura. He did not know why I was confused I realized.

Alice and Jasper led me to their room so that I could change then led me to Carlisle's office.

Carlisle's office had many pictures and books. I marveled at the paintings while Carlisle watched me with amusement. He began telling me the story of his life. His painful, silent and lonely transformation, his reluctance to kill humans and living here and there. He mentioned the Volturi, and living with them for years. He gave me a small smile when he noticed my disdainful reaction.

"They are old and set in their ways," he told me, "We are instinctively selfish creatures as you know. They do what pleases them. Showing compassion is not in their nature and to them doing so would undercut their power."

"That was why you didn't fight for me," I replied. It wasn't a question. I continued, "You wanted to. I owe you for the attempt. I know you grieved when you thought I was dead even though you didn't know me. Your face didn't show it but it was strong in your aura."

"How does that work?" Carlisle asked curiously. He motioned for me to sit. I did not need to. As a vampire I could stand comfortably for an eternity. I sat as instructed and Carlisle took a seat as well.

"I have always been able to see color around people," I started. This was a speech I knew well from my human life. "My parents took me to all kinds of doctors and psychologists and finally Dr. Sefcik contacted them. She's a paranormal psychologist that one of my doctors had passed me on to. I have been learning how to focus my paranormal abilities with her for the last five years. It really helped me. Before I could only see halos but as I have grown stronger I could see full color and then decipher the emotions that radiate out from them. That was why I was here in Washington for the summer. I'm from New York but I was studying at a gifted camp for the summer."

"So you can tell what people are feeling by what their aura looks like?"

"Usually. Emotions are innumerable but I know the basic core of most of them by color and texture. Everyone's aura is different but emotions tent to stay the same."

"So what color is my aura?" Carlisle asked. I could tell the subject truly had him fascinated. A particular yellow radiated through him.

"Your aura is white with a gold band haloing around it," I answered. Usually when the psychologists and doctors had asked this it bored me to answer them but Carlisle's kind eyes and unwavering belief and curiosity made me more willing to answer. "Your curiosity is making yellow snakes throughout it."

"Is that how emotions work for you? Like snakes?"

"Sometimes strongly felt ones are more snakelike, and lighter emotions are wispier. If an emotion holds someone fully it completely clouds their aura. Your curiosity is focused."

"Fascinating," he said with a broad smile. Green spirals wrapped around the yellow snakes. I smiled to. "Do vampire and human auras look the same?" he asked me.

"Not really," I answered, "They work the same. You and your family have different auras from the vampires I have known since my rebirth and different still from the ones that came later to the battle site."

"How so?"

"The golden band. It is similar to the color of your eyes. You all have them. The _Volturi_ had thick red halos. My friends… All of them had complete red auras. They were identical. Victoria's aura was a different shade of red. Clouded with anger and hate. I think that the red for us is connected to our bloodlust. I was sad for a long time about my own aura. It used to be a lovely shade of indigo but when I woke up to my new life it was this angry red," I said sadly, "I thought I had lost myself. But some of the older ones… I started to see color in them… just a little. Now seeing you and your family I know that I will one day be myself again. I would hope that you will help me as you promised." I looked down.

"Of course," Carlisle said putting a sympathetic arm on my shoulder, "we will all do what we can."

Carlisle and I spent hours discussing what I knew about my abilities. I told him some of the books that I had studied over the years to understand them. Then we discussed projection. I had only learned I could do that when some of the other vamps at Victoria's camp picked a fight. There were many fights and if one or more of our number died they were weak. When I discovered what I could do I used my double for the fights and stayed alive, even against a stronger foe.

I was surprised that he didn't ask the other Cullens' colors. I did tell him about how Jasper's abilities related to mine.

Next it was my turn to ask questions. I never really was told the fundamentals of this life. Jason and Riley were the oldest vampires I communicated with. "So my eyes will turn gold if I keep eating animal blood?"

"Yes," Carlisle explained, "eventually. You are still young."

We spent more time with him now teaching me the fundamentals of vampirism and answering my questions.

There was a knock at the door and Alice entered. "Carlisle," she said, "You and Bree have been at it for far too long. You don't want to miss your shift at the hospital."

Carlisle nodded. He turned to me. "We'll continue this another time."

"I can't believe there is any more to talk about," she said, "I went to the mall and bought you some clothes that I am sure will fit. Would you like to try them on? I know that you will love them already."

She smiled at me took me by the hand, leading me to a door a little ways away from Carlisle's office. "This will be your room for as long as you stay with us."

"My room?" I asked in surprise. I felt a squeeze on my hand as I stared at the door.

"Aren't you going to go in?" Emmet asked. All of the Cullen's minus Edward were now in the hall.

I stared at the sea of color flooded and combined by anticipation and excitement. I marveled at the way the different colors seemed to work together. They were a true family. There was unity, love and trust. It even seemed incomplete because Edward wasn't present. I imagined the balance of his color and of his Bella's. That would add harmoniously to the picture. Would indigo throw it off? I turned and opened the door.


	5. Moving Forward: Bella's POV

Bella's POV

The thought of staying away from my family to be while they welcomed their newest sister was somewhat devastating. I knew that I would miss them too much if I had to stay away too long. Edward and I had already told Alice that she could have almost free reign over the wedding and had also told my parents. My mother was in full wedding planning, my father was moping around about her being a traitor and Jacob was gone.

I did not have to worry long about missing my family. After only a week, Edward informed me that Bree had approached him with an idea. She said the emotional climate of my absence and by proxy Edward's was not very comfortable for her. Edward had told me all about her abilities that I had not seen in the clearing. Bree suggested that she would just stay upstairs in her room like Rosalie did or just plan hunting/ training trips with Jasper and Emmet around my visits. This worked out for all of us. If I didn't know that it was to protect me that she had suggested it I do admit it would have been a disconcerting plan. As it was I felt like I was locking this young girl in her room but from what the Cullens said Bree enjoyed her new life for the most part. It was a hopeful story seeing as I was going to be a newborn vampire very soon.

The first few times that I went to the Cullen house Bree left. I was learning about being a newborn vampire and these were things that I thought Bree should hear too. Edward invited her to stay in her room where she could hear the vampire lessons Carlisle was giving me.


End file.
